KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Dec 31: Seraikela police have allegedly arrested and sent a farmer to jail accusing him as a cattle smuggler recently.
Irked over the inhumane act by the police, the victim’s brother has shot off a letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking justice and action against the erring police officer.
The letter has been posted by Ranjan Dalai, a resident of Dangardiha village in Rajnagar of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district attracting the attention of scores of local villagers, especially farmers.
Incident details and farmer’s claims
According to Ranjan Dalai, his brother and two other farmers from the Dangardiha village had gone over to Bahalda weekly haat near Rairangpur in neighbouring Mayurbhanj district of Odisha on December 26.
The three farmers bought as many pairs of bullocks from the weekly haat for cultivation purposes and were carrying them in a vehicle.
As the vehicle was negotiating the Manjanaghat area in Seraikela, the police intercepted the vehicle and seized it, including the cattle.
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Ranjan Dalai stated that despite producing papers related to the purchase of the bullocks, the police did not listen to anything, claiming that the trio were indulged in smuggling the cattle for slaughtering purposes only.
Having made such a wishful claim, the police arrested his brother and brought the cattle-laden vehicle to the Seraikela thana premises.
Police treatment of cattle and farmers
Moreover, the police did not allow the other two farmers to feed the bullocks which were lying in the open exposed to chilling cold.
According to the complainant, after repeated pleading the Seraikela SDPO, Samir Kumar Sebaiya had let the farmers feed the cattle which were extremely hungry.
Ranjan Dalai said the Seraikela thana OC, Satish Burnwal ignored to listen anything from the victims despite the plea that they are Hindu and cannot think of causing any harm to the bovines as they worship them, thus the action taken by the OC was beyond any reason.
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Police response and defence
The Seraikela thana OC, Satish Burnwal, when contacted, claimed that the six bullocks were stuffed in a small vehicle and the accused person was carrying no papers against the purchase of cattle as such.
“The accused had produced the papers having managed them after the police action only,” said the OC while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
The OC Satish Burnwal also refuted the allegation that he prevented the farmers from feeding the cattle at the police station to be true.
